“And do you seek great things for yourself? Do not seek them…” (Jer 45:5). These are the Lord’s own words through Jeremiah to Baruch. It was a bad time to seek anything of permanent value in a land soon to be ravaged by the Babylonians. The same of our doomed world: everything around us is […]
“What do you have that you did not receive? Now if you did indeed receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?” (1 Cor 4:7). C.S. Lewis writes in Mere Christianity: “Every faculty you have, your power of thinking or your moving your limbs from moment to moment, is given […]
Let’s pray the psalmist’s request: “Open my eyes so that I may contemplate wondrous things from your instruction” (Ps 119:18, CSB). […]
“O Lord, I am oppressed; undertake for me!” (Isa 38:14). At its root, the word “undertake” means “to braid.” This is the only reference where the word is so translated. Usually it has the idea of pledge or surety—when someone with resources guarantees a loan for another. Such a person braids their hope and future […]
Edward Studd, after making a fortune in the tea business in India, returned to England to raise his family in a life of lavish excess, living for the world that is soon to be burned. But in 1875, that changed when their father was saved under the preaching of D.L. Moody. The three eldest boys, […]
Often we’re distracted from the little things by big things, only to find that the little things were the big things. “Moreover,” begins 2 Chronicles 4. Moreover what? The foundations were vital (2 Chron 3:3), as they are for us today (Eph 2:19-20). The gold-covered cedar walls were exquisite (2 Chron 3:5). Imagine even using golden nails (v […]
Don’t confuse me with a math geek. But even with my schoolhouse arithmetic, the numbers I hear on a regular basis don’t add up. Here’s a sobering number from the Economic Policy Institute. Globalizing our economy (shipping jobs overseas) has cost Americans plenty. Manufacturing jobs dropped by 5 million, and 70,000 factories have closed. We’ve […]
“Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the hearts. To do righteousness and justice is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice” (Prov 21:2-3). Perhaps you’ve heard the adage, “When all is said and done, more is said than done.” I’ve found these lines from the Proverbs […]
How were the books of the Bible selected? “Canonicity” refers to the standard used to include these writings. God determined canonicity by inspiring certain men to write the Bible. Norman Geisler and William Nix give the questions used by the early church to determine this: 1. Is it authoritative? Though the writers claimed no authority […]